I use Basablar Kwik Pens but can not figure how to reuse them…
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I have never used the Basaglar version of the Kwik Pen, but I assume the mechanics of the pen is the same as the other Lilly KwikPens.
Try this and see if it works. Let us know!
fudiabetes.org-refilling-the-lilly-kwikpen-disposable-pen
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Unfortunately, the Basaglar KwikPen seems to lock-in-place when it is empty. Unable to turn counter-clock-wise.
Thanks for your quick response!
Gary
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Make sure you are pushing it back up into the pen WHILE turning.
Make sure you are following the directions in the link I posted. It is definitely a two-handed operation.
Step 1:
Hold the base of the pen. Push the dosing button up into the base of the pen , and while holding it up into the pen, turn the dosing button counterclockwise . This is the opposite direction you do when dialing up your dose. Keep pushing the button into the base of the pen and turning the dosing button counterclockwise. As you turn the dosing button, you will hear click sounds, and you will see the black advance screw moving away from the plunger.
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I have followed instructions and plunger will not retract. I also attempted with a half-empty pen and still it will not retract for a possible re-use. When I twist counter-clockwise I hear the clicking sound but the plunger does not move.
Best regards,
Gary
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That is unfortunate. Can you get Basaglar in pen vials that fit in reusable pens? Those you can refill.
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So, as I understand it, one empties the cartridge by pressing the injector button until the plunger can move no more, leaving a unit or so within the system from the stopper through the pen needle. Removing the pen needle only leaves the minuscule amount between the stopper and the septa barrier (the rubber membrane where you insert the pen needle). So, if you insert a syringe filled from a vial, after retracting the plunger, the pressure of the injecting insulin pushes the stopper back down the cartridge, and the refilled insulin is unavoidably mixed with that very very tiny amount of “old” insulin (negligible to me). Three 100 unit injections should totally fill a 3 mL cartridge. I have not seen a video or stills showing every step of the process (particularly the “refill”), and just wanted to get it straight in my head.
Certain companies in China manufacture the empty sterile cartridges/stoppers, but they are geared to quantities to Big Pharma, not in consumer or researcher/inventor quantities. Novo Nordisk and Lilly have stopped selling R/N cartridges in the US, to force patients to the more profitable pre-filled pens and or the new prescription required analogs. Funny how Canada requires them to keep making it, but they now require a US prescription to ship OTC insulin to the US. Ain’t trade deals wonderful?
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Have you had any wear and tear issues with refilling the InPen cartridges long term? They’re about 12 times for expensive with my insurance and I’m going to start using vials and fill the empty cartridges.
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